Today's Tidbit... Fan Clubs

Fan clubs began in the U.S. in the late 1890s and took many forms. Early fan clubs included the Pittsburgh Fanciers' Club, whose members spent time collecting and displaying various poultry breeds, a hobby that continues today. However, most early fan clubs were people in business who supported or boosted local baseball teams ranging from the big leagues to semi-pro.

Other fan clubs supported high schools, especially their sports programs, and were indistinguishable from booster clubs. Early fan clubs seldom supported college teams, presumably because colleges already had alumni organizations and networks and did not promote fandom in the general public.

Fan clubs targeting children and teens as members appeared by the 1930s and came in two types that dominated the club scene for decades. One set of fan clubs supported pop stars like Shirley Temple, Fabian, or Elvis Presley, and the other supported sports teams or sports generally.

A manufacturer of coats for boys and young men, Albert Richard, had an All-American club in 1936 that gave away a book with football stories and encouraged club members to submit their nominations for the Albert Richard All-American team.

(1936 Albert Richard Crucial Games And The Plays That Won Them, All-American Secrets)

The Albert Richard All-American Club would likely be long forgotten today were it not for the stylized football maps they produced yearly for a decade or more, which hung in retail stores and are now highly collectible.